71

Chapter 89

Apparently Glass is in a different time zone than the rest of us, because his definition of an hour or so is certainly nowhere near mine.
The sun has completely set, nothing more than a red glow in the distance now, the sky a deep and vivid purple, ridden through with streaks of pastel orange and pink.
"We need to stop for the night." Coal says finally. Tiredly, I nod, unable to muster words. It seems impossible that it was only this morning I woke Coal from his coma, and even further so that little over a week ago I was nestled safe and sound in my cave, waiting for my life to begin.
"Right there." I hear Hour from behind, and turn to look down at where she's pointing, at a small clearing in the forest far below.
"Heck." I shrug, and direct Sir Blarg. I soon see I haven't really noticed just how high we are. To put it simply, it takes us ten or twenty minutes of sloping, gentle spirals to clear the clouds.
As we're flying, all of us barely hanging on, yearning for sleep, I hear a surprisingly young voice from behind.
"Glade."
"Excuse me?" I turn, thinking it could have been Coal, but this new voice is slightly higher.
"Glade. My name is Glade." The icy haired young man says coldly. No pun intended.
"Ash. Nice to meet cha, Glade." I say cheerily, trying to keep spirits up.
Still spiraling... I beginning to feel dizzy, as the forest spins over and over around the single small clearing, which actually isn't so small, now we're getting closer.
"Joe." Comes the voice of a young woman who can only be the vibrating furry blonde lady. "I'm Joe."
"Coal," I hear him say behind me, and have to try hard not to laugh when he clambers over Stomp, the big guard, to shake her hand.
I glance expectantly over my shoulder at the last two, smiling slightly in the mood.
The man with the dagger hand grunts in distaste. "Shiver." The voice is menacing and cold, turning my arms to gooseflesh and making the hair on my tail stand on end, so it looks like a giant pipe-cleaner, a fact which Coal doesn't miss, and he smirks out of the corner of my eye.
"Sh-shiver, huh?" I say shakily, trying to avoid the man's searching eyes. "You don't look like a-a-a Shiver..." I finish, lips twitching in a fail of a smile. He growls, and I stop trying to communicate with him.
When we've almost reached the ground, I hear another voice behind me. A very normal male voice, higher both than Coal's and Glade's, yet heavy, slow, but clear, and strangely soothing, like the flow of silk over the skin, with a strange, foreign accent.
"Nobod' be wantin' to know me name."
I spin in alarm, worried another passenger has boarded without my knowing, but, nope, nine people sit behind me. Finally, my eyes land on the cloaked creature.
"Uh..." I open and close my mouth, trying to find words, without success. Coal takes over.
"Of course we do!" He barely masks his surprise, but somehow he does.
"You right be callin' me Pops."
"Pops?" I say uncomprehendingly, still trying to get through the thick accent.
"Aye." Pops says darkly, emitting a string of hissing and popping sounds.
"Ok...." I say, trying to paste a fake kindly smile to my face, and not succeeding, so I turn back around and guide Blarg down the last couple yards, where it brings it's enormous wings up for a final time, gently touching down so I'm barely jolted in my seat.
"Thanks Blarg!" I call, leaping without thinking off the Beast's back, and it's already too late when I remember the gaping hole in my side.
This is gonna hurt.
"Oof!" I grunt when I hit the ground. My knees buckle, and I barely manage to catch myself with my hands.
"Ash!" Coal pulls me up a second after I hit the ground, and I look into his deep blue eyes and feel my brain begin to lose connection. He looks down at where I'm clutching my side, and I hastily let go. "Ash..."
The wound hurts, but do I really need to trouble everybody about it?
I look around at the survivors, the eight very different people, who trust each other enough to fight with them, who, each and every one of them, are willing to give their lives for a better life, a better world.
They already have enough trouble without worrying for me.
"I'm fine, really!" I add when I come to and see that Coal's still standing there, watching me like he's concerned for my health. "C'mon," I grab his hand and begin to tow him toward the clearing edge, eager to breath in some quality forest air, and feel the grass beneath my feet once again. "Let's find something for a fire."